


fighting but falling slowly

by glittercake



Series: SamBucky Bingo 2019 [7]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Disabilities, Falling In Love, M/M, Meet-Cute, Misunderstandings, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, asshole neighbors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:20:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21597532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glittercake/pseuds/glittercake
Summary: He once tried saying hi while Sam came out to get his Uber Eats, and the dude totally batted him and just went back inside, which is rude as shit, and so perhaps Bucky is very bitter because Sam is one hundred degrees of Fine.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Sam Wilson
Series: SamBucky Bingo 2019 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1509827
Comments: 34
Kudos: 301
Collections: Sambucky Bingo





	fighting but falling slowly

**Author's Note:**

> [Loosely based on this Tumblr post](https://m4ge.tumblr.com/post/182592554740/a-quick-step-by-step-guide-on-what-to-do-if-you)
> 
> For the Accidental Proposal square on my card :)

Bucky gets a new neighbor just as December comes around. It's snowing and miserable and honest to god horrid out there. So he has precisely no objections to being holed up in his house for the foreseeable future.

But there are only two houses in the little cul-de-sac of their neighborhood. This means that Bucky is the unlucky audience member of one garbage bird's singing at four every morning.

He tolerates it because he's kind of above hollering out of his window at ungodly hours, and he thinks the dude could probably take him if he did yell at him. And like, Bucky only has one arm and the pavement's slippery this time of year, you know, so he tolerates the bird's screeching. Still, it entirely blows his mind that this man doesn't fucking do something about it.

So, Bucky's sort of bitter about the noise and hasn't been real neighborly in welcoming this man (His name's Sam, His mail ended up in Bucky's postbox once.) He blames it on the lack of sleep what with being sung awake at 4 am every morning for the last two weeks.

He also once tried saying hi while Sam came out to get his Uber Eats, and the dude totally batted him and just went back inside, which is rude as shit, and so perhaps Bucky is  _ very  _ bitter because Sam is one hundred degrees of Fine. He was wearing Ugg boots and Yoga pants for god's sake.

This isn't counting the day Bucky physically knocked on the dude's door, offering to take his trash can up the road where the truck collects it. He was brutally ignored even though he knew Sam was at home. He saw him leave and come back that morning, so he was definitely at home. Rude ass. Safe to say, Bucky is  _ exceptionally _ bitter.

The curve of the road has their houses kind of facing each other, so when Bucky's sitting in his living room, minding his own business, he can see Sam's driveway and front door unobscured. But he's minding his own business, so that doesn't matter.

Sam has been out shopping for most of the day, and by the time he gets back, the snow has just died down. He's prancing up his driveway, little regard for the icy walkway, with heaps of shopping bags looped around his arm.

Sam stops at his front door and starts fiddling with the keys, twists it around a couple of times, yanks the handle in ever-growing bouts of frustration, but the door won't budge. Bucky's probably an asshole for snickering, but that's what you get for being rude.

Sam's door is frozen shut. Their houses could not have been built at a worse angle since they get every last gust of frozen air winter has to offer, and Bucky's learned the hard way. His new neighbor, however, has not learned this fundamental lesson yet. Bucky can only assume he's from the sunnier side of the world.

Bucky goes to make himself a cup of coffee for the show. Yeah, he's going to sit and watch because he's a petty fuckwit with nothing better to do.

When he returns, Sam's kicking the bottom of the door. He's looking up, hopeful after each kick like the thing's just going to unstick. It's not. Bucky curls his hand around his warm cup and sits down in the lazy boy close to the window.

Sam's putting his parcels down on the hood of his car now and starts digging in his coat pockets for his phone. It takes him a moment to figure out texting with gloves on is not working, so he pulls them off and drops his phone in the snow in the process.

Bucky can tell by the big puff of white steam Sam lets out that he's annoyed. Slowly he bends down and picks the phone up. Bucky takes a sip because he knows what's coming.

His jeans are damp with sleet by now, and wiping the phone on them is fucking futile. Bucky's been there too, so he knows when Sam starts typing really fast that he's just realized this and is key smashing out of frustration.

Finally, the guy gets his phone to co-operate and text someone who much too Bucky's delight doesn't respond. Sam drops his hands at his sides, and he tips his head up to the heavens, probably seeking composure or something.

After four minutes of standing there, he looks to his living room window, sees his garbage bird sitting there, and rushes over to it. Sam's got both his hand plastered to the glass, and his breath makes it steam up because he's actually talking to the thing. Bucky has to laugh at the way Sam's pointing his finger to the door like he's expecting the bird to do something about it.

Garbage bird—turns out it's a parrot, bright red with yellow-tipped wings, would be cute if it wasn't so annoying—stares at Sam the way a baby looks at grown-up who talk shit in their faces. A few moments later, the parrot fluffs out its feathers and hops off the windowsill.

Sam knocks on the window, yelling more steam clouds into it. But the bird's had enough. Sam falls to his knees in the snow and… wait… "Are you apologizing?" Bucky murmurs to himself, "To the fucking bird??"

He laughs because that shit's adorable.

When Sam finally gets up, he dusts the snow from his knees, then casts a brief glance at Bucky's house at which Bucky ducks like a dodgeball player and starts panicking that maybe Sam saw him lurking in the window. And now _Bucky_ is the asshole neighbor, not Sam-I'm-too-good-for-you-Wilson.

He decides he actually is a total asshole while he's sitting on his living room floor, he should aim to be better. And Sam being rude doesn't make him any less cute, doesn't make his ass any less round. So, Bucky downs the rest of his coffee, flinches because it's too hot, then heads to his kitchen again.

He steps outside with a steaming jug of boiling water a couple of minutes later. Unfortunately, it's just as Sam charges full speed at the frozen door. He crashes into it hard and then slips and lands on his ass.

Out of pure exhaustion, Sam collapses onto his back. Bucky thinks you must be really fed up if you're just lying on a frozen walkway, huffing fog into the air.

Bucky feels like a piece of shit for waiting so long now. "Hey…" he says.

Sam doesn't move, still just splayed out in the snow.

Really?? He's ignoring him?? Now?? Christ. Bucky sucks it up, it's fine, he'll just hand the jug over and be on his way. Hopefully, Rude Ass knows what to do with it.

"Yeah, anyway," he says begrudged, "This'll help with the door."

He's right behind Sam now and the guys still batting him.

"Jesus…" Bucky grumps on the verge of a rant about what exactly this man's fucking problem is when Sam suddenly jerks around hand on his chest, clearly frightened shitless.

Bucky immediately steps back as Sam gets up on his feet.

"Shit man, sorry," he says, "Didn't mean to scare you, I just—"

Sam's staring at him, a slight frown edging between his eyes. Actually, no, now that Bucky's really looking- Sam is staring at his lips and his own lips part, making a small circle in the middle.

And like, alright, that's… very forward of him? Bucky's down for it, but jesus.

"Uhh," Bucky says, and holds up the jug, "For the door. I saw you struggling to get it open, because of the ice—" Sam is still staring at Bucky's mouth, blinking, "—so yeah, and this will probably crack it… dude, are you okay??"

Sam shakes his head, but like he's shaking himself out of some trance. "No," he says, inflection rounded, throaty, he throws up a hand gesture, and then it clicks.

It all fucking clicks: why Sam doesn't do anything about his shrieking bird, why he didn't hear Bucky say hi, why he's staring at his lips.

"Oh my god, you're deaf," He says, feeling incredibly stupid and full of shit and like the worst person of the year.

Sam nods and does more signs with his hands that Bucky doesn't know because he is a complete douche.

"I don't know… I can't—" he apologizes.

Sam waves him off, "Sorry, I said, have you been home all this time?"

Bucky's cheeks go hot despite the cold air, he sighs, "I… yeah… I mean,"

Sam signing quick and furious while he speaks now, "You watched me dropkick my front door like a moron?"

"I did." Bucky nods regretfully, but he's also shamelessly staring. Sam's goddamn adorable; he is really  _ really  _ cute now that Bucky's face to face with him. Long lashes that sweep up in a curl, flawless complexion, and a cute little gap between his front teeth.

"My hands are freezing, you asshole!!" Sam blurts out and storms off toward his door again.

"No, hey, wait!" Bucky calls after him and realizes too late that Sam can't hear him, so he goes after him instead. Half the water spills out, and the rest has gone lukewarm now.

Bucky worms himself in beside Sam on the front step, softly places his hand on Sam's arm, and when Sam turns to him, he says, "I'm sorry, I'm a prick. I thought you were ignoring me. I tried to say hi once, you just left…" Bucky ducks his head to catch Sam's eye because he's looking down, "I didn't realize." he puts his hand on his chest as a sign of sincerity, "I'm really sorry."

Sam looks up from Bucky's lips, "Your stupid water's cold now." He makes a fist against his forehead with his little finger sticking up, and anyone, deaf or not, would know what that means. But Sam's face softens, and he gives Bucky a small, shy smile.

"I got more at my house," he points to it like a dumbass as if Sam doesn't know where he stays, "And, uh, I got coffee too… if you drink that sort of thing."

Sam shrugs back, brings his hand up to shake Bucky' s—and shit, they genuinely are cold when Bucky puts his palm to Sam's.

"I'm Sam," He says, and it makes Bucky grin deliriously.

"Bucky." He says before realizing it's probably best to start with his real name when he meets strangers, and Sam confirms it by bursting out laughing.

He signs what must be Bucky's name; his eyes are actually tearing up.

"Yeah, wise guy, my name's fucking Bucky, now let me make you some coffee, alright?"

Bucky hasn't let go of Sam's hand, he holds on all the way to is own front door. Sam's grinning stupidly when Bucky looks back at him and tightens his grip just so.

Sam comes over to Bucky's house for the next month to watch movies and eat take out, it takes two weeks for Bucky to build up the courage to kiss Sam. It's pretty awkward when he finally leans sideways, ready to do it, and Sam leans away because he thinks Bucky's trying to say something, and he wants to read his lips.

Bucky's learned some sign language too, but he sucks at it and forgets everything once he sees Sam, so he just presses two fingers to Sam's mouth until Sam gets it. They're both so nervous the kiss goes off-center, but once they find the middle ground, it's all systems go.

They spend a few more snow days alternating between houses for movies, but mostly steamy necking sessions. Bucky hates going to Sam's place because his bird, Red, sounds off like a goddamn alarm when they get too carried away.

Bucky's getting cockblocked by a parrot. Fortunately, he's too smitten even to care. 

The next time he has Sam alone at his place, he wants to make it official, maybe get his dick wet for the first time since they met, so he invites Sam for a home-cooked meal on New Year's eve.

Sam's ridiculously funny, and he makes Bucky laugh until he cries, he's also really smart and thoughtful and witty, so Bucky is pretty nervous about asking Sam out. 

After dessert—sticky toffee pudding and caramel sauce—Bucky puts his spoon down and inhales. Sam's already looking at him from across the table. Gah… the guy is gorgeous; Bucky wants to cry. 

Sam signs, "What?"

Bucky knows what Sam's saying because he's been practicing signing too. He still sucks, but he thinks he's getting a little better. 

He makes the sign for talking, and Sam grimaces.

"No, no." Bucky waves his hands, "Nothing bad. Not like  _ talk talk _ , just talk." 

"About what?" Sam says and scoops the last bit of his dessert out of his bowl with his finger. God. Bucky adores him.

He gets up to sit next to Sam at his end of the table, squeezes his knee. He could simply say it; Sam's great at reading lips, but Bucky wants Sam to know just how much he means to him, so he's going to sign what he's learned. 

Bucky brings Sam's one hand forward to help him complete the gesture since he's short one arm. He motions once between them and then clasps their hands together. A sign for togetherness… he thinks…. yeah… no… shit. Obviously, it's not because Sam's eyes go wide, like proper bewildered.

"Marry??" Sam sputters and gapes at Bucky.

"What?! No… I mean… what??" Bucky lets go of Sam's hand and turns bright red.

Sam repeats the sign, "You said, "marry me'!" and he's probably cottoned on to the fact the Bucky's a whole fool and got the sign wrong because he's laughing, holding his belly.

"No! Stop laughing; this is serious!" Bucky says, but can't really keep a straight face anymore, and now they're both hysterical. They're just sort of leaning against each other wheezing. 

"No, okay, stop. Stop. Not marriage serious but like—" he's going to have to say it. He sighs and cups Sam's cheek, "—I'm asking you out, you asshole." 

Sam tips his head sideways and places his hand over Bucky's on his cheek. With his other hand, he points to Bucky then makes a circle with his forefinger and thumb, "Your asshole." 

And Bucky's face probably splits in half the way he grins back at Sam. 

Bucky does get lucky that night. Sam sucks him off in the shower, and it's fucking mind-blowing because Sam keeps eye contact the whole time; since he can't hear Bucky enjoying it, he watches. 

And later, Sam lets Bucky fuck him. The snow is fluttering down outside, fireplace crackling warm and golden, Sam perfectly pliant beneath him. It feels so right to Bucky at that moment that he mumbles, "I love you," into Sam's neck.

Which of course Sam doesn't hear so Bucky shifts up, breathless, sweaty, deep in the throes of it, "Oh god fuck, feels so good…" he slips his hand behind Sam's neck to bring them closer together, "Hey," 

Sam smiles up at him, devastatingly beautiful. 

"I love you," he tells Sam, "You're fucking amazing," 

Sam gasps, tilts his hips up, "Say it again, but go harder."

Bucky laughs; this guy is honestly something else. Like a whirlwind that just rummaged through Bucky's life and left everything in an utterly blissful state of disarray. He loves him totally and completely.

"Yeah, okay." Bucky smiles and obliges, "I love you." He kisses Sam, "more than anything." 

They hit home together, and it's way more intimate than Bucky had planned, so he hides his face in Sam's neck until he doesn't feel like crying while his dick's still in his New Boyfriend. 

When they're finally basking in the afterglow with the fire keeping them warm, Sam places his hand on Bucky's chest- pinky, forefinger, and thumb up and the other two folded. He grins sleepily at Bucky.

That's one sign Bucky knows with absolute certainty. 

His stomach does a little flip, though; Sam loves him too. 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm [glitter-cake20](https://glitter-cake20.tumblr.com/) on tumblr


End file.
